Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young addressed the media after practice on July 27. Here is a full transcript of his press conference.
On what led him to the point of taking off the knee brace:
"Just feeling good. It was just that time to take it off and just to keep pushing forward."
On if he feels totally normal and more like he did in 2020:
"Yeah, I wouldn't say 2020. I feel myself. I feel well. I'm where my feet are at and I feel good."
On what it was like meeting the new ownership group yesterday:
"Oh, real exciting, man. Definitely excited about [Washington Commanders Managing Partner] Mr. [Josh] Harris, [Washington Commanders Limited Partner] Magic [Johnson], the whole group. Big things coming and definitely looking forward to it."
On what his impression is of Josh Harris:
"Oh, great guy. He came and hollered at the team yesterday. I found out he's from just around the corner. He hollered at us and it was just real cool just to hear from him."
On what his offseason plan looked like and on his work with Ohio State Defensive Line Coach Larry Johnson:
"Yeah, man. Went back to the guru. Mr. Miyagi is what we call him. [Laughs]. It was good to get it in. Glad to be back with [assistant defensive line coach Ryan Kerrigan] RK, [defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina] Big Z and we've been putting in work and just working on little things, so it's been great."
On if there was a moment on the field that he realized he was completely back:
"I ain't about to get too detailed. But just know that I feel good and I'm running around and I'm feeling explosive again."
On what it means to have the fans back in full force being from here:
"Yeah, it was great to see the fans. It definitely lifted me a lot. I appreciate our fans. I know they're excited about new ownership and just the stands itself made it feel more like an NFL practice for real. I'm definitely excited that they're here and I'm definitely thankful."
On if the stands stood out to the players:
"No, that was great. I see Mr. Harris ain't playing games. That was real cool."
On when he started to see the shift in the fanbase:
"Yeah, I mean it's different when the receiver is just running regular routes on air and every time [WR] Terry [McLaurin] catches the ball, I hear the crowd. So I know they are hype and excited and so are we."
*On what it was like working out with Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason: *"Yeah, as a guy that's had his ups and downs and been through injuries, I got great advice from him. He just says, we bounce back. Every time you get injured, we bounce back and that's just what we do. So, he definitely gave me great advice, and I can't thank him enough."
On if he feels like he has to re-prove himself to the fanbase:
"Nah, I'm just gonna do me. I'm gonna do me like I always do."
On what it felt like being back on the field with DE Montez Sweat:
"Man, it feels great. Me and Tez, we're always with each other in the offseason anyway. We don't spend too much time apart from each other, so we worked out. Montez also came to Ohio State with me and worked out with Coach Johnson, so we were getting it in. We're definitely excited about this season and to get it rolling."
On what made him decide to go workout with Coach Johnson at Ohio State this offseason:
"It was cool. That's who I think made me who I am today in terms of a man and player. I just had to go back and fine tune the little things, the small things, and it was good."
On how important it was to play in those couple games at the end of last season:
"Yeah, definitely to get back. Just knowing that I can go out there again and move around and run around. It was cool for me. It was good."
On how gratifying it will be to get back out on the field at full strength:
"Yeah, definitely. That's the plan. That's always the plan and just taking it one day at a time. Just be where your feet are and just staying consistent."
On what it is like for he and his family being from the area and seeing the excitement of the ownership change:
"Right now my family is definitely excited. I think my mom did an interview today. She's excited. My auntie, my dad, everybody. They're excited to get it rolling and just to see the new things that are about to start happening with the organization."
On what it means for the players to have that change:
"I'm sure, we know that our owner, he's not playing games. He's doing things above our head to make our life easier and that just makes us play harder and has us more motivated to keep going."
On if Bills DE Von Miller and Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. have both talked with him about the year after coming back from a major injury:
Yeah, definitely. They just said the big thing is they said we just bounce back. That's just what we do. That's my plan and I guess y'all just gonna see what happens."
On if the decision to remove the brace was a hard one:
"Well, I've had my brace off before camp, so it wasn't too bad coming out here and playing. I kind of got used to it in the offseason a little bit running around without the brace. I got healthy."
